Testing & QC.

Among the wide variety of new test instruments at NPE were both benchtop and on-line versions of color sensors and automated melt-flow indexers. There were also a film-quality analyzer, a slip and friction tester for packaging, and a 500-lb-capacity mechanical tester.

NEWS IN COLOR MEASUREMENT

The new Auto-Color family of compact benchtop spectrophotometers from Byk-Gardner USA, Columbia, Md., comes with both sphere and 45/0 [degrees] geometries and large and small apertures.

Byk-Gardner also launched new Auto-QC Windows-based software for color measurement and quality control. It sells for $3295.

The SpectraProbe on-line color-management system was introduced by HunterLab, Inc., Reston, Va. It can monitor either pellets or extrusions such as PVC siding with a spectrophotometer that measures continuously at a fixed point or scans across the product. Base price with software is around $30,000.

Minolta Corp.'s Instruments Systems Div., Ramsey, N.J., unveiled SpectraMagic Windows-based color-QC software for benchtop and portable spectrophotometers. It features over 50 indices that can be charted for whiteness, yellowness, haze, chromatic strength, and other parameters. "Best-fit" elliptical tolerancing analyzes the color history in a file and automatically generates the tolerance best describing a customer's past acceptance characteristics. It can provide spectral curves and trend charts.

AUTOMATED MELT-FLOW INDEXERS

A newly redesigned melt indexer with simpler operation, greater flexibility, and increased automation was featured by John Chatillon & Sons, Inc., Greensboro, N.C. Model 10 (part of the Davenport line from Lloyd Instruments of the U.K.) is a modular system that can be configured for either manual or automated testing. It now offers faster test cycles and improved reproducibility via new software. Up to 10 test set-ups can be stored in memory. The unit can display real-time graphs and SPC trend analysis. Price is around $7000.

Dynisco Kayeness Polymer Test Systems, Morgantown, Pa., featured its new LMI4000 melt-flow indexer, said to be the first such instrument to incorporate a 32-bit microprocessor. This reportedly provides unparalleled control of test parameters and ability to perform self-diagnostics and digital calibrations. Options include a digital encoder for the precise measurement of piston displacement and rate of descent, as well as intrinsic-viscosity correlation for PET. Base price is $4000.

READ-TIME VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT

A real-time viscosity tester for compounders and resin suppliers was unveiled by Dynisco Kayeness. The RheoTruder integrates a laboratory capillary rheometer with a 3/4-in. single-screw extruder. It can be placed away from the production environment with the aid of a pellet or powder transfer system. The instrument can generate a full flow curve in less than 8 min. It reportedly can perform 9-20 runs/hr versus a more typical three runs/hr for other lab rheometers. Higher precision than conventional laboratory rheometers (0.7% versus 1.0-1.1%) is also claimed. Price is in the $80,000-100,000 range.

Kayeness also came out with the Flow Characterization Rheometer (FCR), which is described as two on-line rheometers in one package that's smaller than many single instruments. This dual-capillary unit both monitors melt-flow index and provides complete rheological characterization by continuously measuring viscosity over a range of shear rates from I to 2500 [sec.sup.-1]. With Kayeness Advanced Rheology Software (KARS), it can also provide continuous, on-line SPC.

ANALYZE FIlM QUALITY

An off-line instrument that inspects extruded films for gels and black specks was introduced by Dynisco Kayeness. The Film Quality Analyzer (FQA) uses a halogen fiber-optic light source and line-scan camera to scan at rates of 2000 lines/sec over a 1-in. field of view. It can reportedly detect defects as small as 25 microns with a resolution of 12.5 microns. It has a Windows user interface, motorized mechanical film puller, and mobile cart.

PORTABLE DEWPOINT METER

Ohmic Instruments Co., Easton, Md., introduced a portable, battery-operated dewpoint meter and logger designed to optimize quality of molded products by measuring the moisture content of drying air. Model AMM015 is used to check the performance of hopper dryers and ovens by directly measuring the process air's dewpoint. A built-in data logger records time and dewpoint data. Price is $695.

SLIP AND FRICTION TESTER

The new Lab Master instrument from Testing Machines, Inc., Islandia, N.Y., helps evaluate additives used to modify the coefficient of friction in packaging materials. The system's high-speed data acquisition locates and captures the static peak. The unit offers predefined test methods, reports, and analyses, as well as visual prompts to guide users through tests. It is priced in the range of $21,000-30,000, depending on options.

SMALL MECHANICAL TESTER

United Testing Systems, Inc. of Huntington Beach, Calif., introduced a 500-lb-capacity tabletop tensile and compression tester at the show. The "smart" SSTM system incorporates a PC-compatible computer for data acquisition and machine control. Test speed is variable from 0.001 to 40 in./min. An extensive library of Windows 95 software is available.